How to investigate wildlife (or cryptozoology) sightings.

In light of the recent Jaguar sighting in southern Arizona, I thought it was interesting to get this email from the Arizona Game and Fish Department on how they investigate reports of rare and/or endangered species. Note that eyewitness sightings need to be corroborated with other forms of evidence for such sightings to be officially confirmed. Good quality photographs or video, or other physical evidence are required to confirm these sightings. It is interesting that animals as small as domestic cats are often mistaken for lager cats, and that reports from the public go up dramatically after a sighting, confirmed or not, is reported in the media.
(Click on the email for a larger view)